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2013-06-04

Tutorial: The Emerald Dress

Does any of you remember the Emerald Dress I've refashioned for the Sew-vivor sewalong? Ever since, I've been planning to share the tutorial on how I made it, and it's been postponed ever since.

I am a petit size, so that means I could use the existing dress/skirt to make a petit size refashioned dress. The fabric I used was just enough for the new dress to be at all fitable. So, make sure that you have enough if you're refashioning too.

Wait no more! Here it comes.

1. Lay your pieces flat and draw the pattern pieces. I had a 1cm allowence because I had no more fabric to use, but you can make it bigger.

2. Cut your pieces. For this dress, I needed 4 pieces front and 4 pieces back. I flipped front and back from the original dress, so my buttons will be on the back. Since I was reusing them, I didn't have to leave a seam allowence for the center back.

3. Pin all your pieces together.

4. Sew seams on machine. Press them open on the front center, and the rest to the sides.

5. On the right side of the fabric sew a paralel stitch (I used my foot's width).

6. A look of it all stitched down on the front.

7. Mark your button holes. I used the existing ones, but they weren't enough, so I had to add a couple more.

8. I traced the pattern into the lining from the original piece and had it cut by the waist. I've used one the original stripes to make the new different one, which was sewn between the two layers of fabric (sorry I was so involved with it at this part that I forgot to take some photos). It was then pinned and sewn to the outter pieces. First right sides together. Turn around and press.
9. Sew a stitch line as close to the edge as possible to keep it in place.
10. I've closed the side seams by hand.
11. Just a look at the finished back.

12. back to the button holes, since my thread was different and contrastic to the original, I had to sew button holes over the existing original ones. you can see it clearly in this picture below.
13. A look at my finished dress, back and opened.
14. For the belt, all I had to do, was sewing a piece of lace to the other stripe from the original dress, add a button on one edge and a button hole to the other. And it was done.